Chapter 407 - 406: The Second Investor?

"Once the main creative team is assembled, pick a time, and I’ll treat everyone to a meal. It’ll be a good chance for everyone to get to know each other."

Since they were just starting out, no one knew each other, which could negatively affect the quality of their work.

Helping everyone get acquainted before the cameras started rolling would be a huge benefit to the upcoming shoot.

"You’re so thoughtful, Miss Yun."

Everyone’s eyes lit up when they heard Yun Zijin offer to treat them.

After all, even when someone on a typical film set offered to pay, they would never choose a restaurant as expensive as Qingjin Pavilion.

’An investor is an investor, after all. Money is clearly no object.’

Yun Zijin smiled. ’It’s not that I’m thoughtful, I just happened to run into them. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have even occurred to me to treat the crew to a meal.’

After lunch, Yun Zijin returned to her car for a short nap. The character auditions for the day resumed at 2:00 PM.

Lu Yunque arrived at 3:00 PM, and he didn’t come empty-handed; he had brought afternoon tea for everyone on set.

Gao Mi looked at the dessert and milk tea in his hand, a grin plastered across his face.

And just like that, Lu Yunque successfully became an audition judge, taking a seat right next to Yun Zijin.

The actors who came in to audition afterward, especially those trying out for the lead roles, couldn’t help but dial back their auras upon seeing Lu Yunque and Yun Zijin together.

Gao Mi and the others noticed this phenomenon, but it wasn’t a major issue. Since it affected everyone equally, the playing field remained level.

Meanwhile, other crew members looked at Lu Yunque, thinking he seemed vaguely familiar but unable to place him.

Out of sight of Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque, several of them exchanged glances, ultimately deciding to just wait and see.

Once Lu Yunque was seated, Yun Zijin began telling him about everything she had learned that day.

"Director Gao, would it be alright if I let him take a look at the script?"

She only asked because Lu Yunque had actually shown some interest by the end of her explanation.

"Not a problem! As long as it isn’t leaked, he can look all he wants!"

Gao Mi had a first-rate eye for detail. From the moment he’d first seen Lu Yunque, he had noticed the watch on his wrist.

Though he couldn’t identify the specific model, one look was all it took to know it couldn’t be bought for less than a million.

’Maybe after he reads our script, I’ll be welcoming a second investor!’

It had to be said, Gao Mi was a man of vision.

Lu Yunque was indeed reading the script intently, and he found himself quite impressed with some of the plot developments.

"How much did you invest?"

If it were up to him alone, he most likely wouldn’t have invested, even if he was optimistic about the script.

After all, the deals he typically handled were so massive that anything not in the billions wasn’t even worth bringing up.

But since Yun Zijin had already put money in, Lu Yunque felt he could throw in a little something as well, just to follow her lead.

Yun Zijin made an "OK" sign with her hand.

"Three hundred million?"

Yun Zijin shook her head. "What are you thinking? How much can you really invest in a modern drama? I only put in thirty million. I might add more later, depending on how it looks after filming starts."

Thirty million was admittedly a bit on the low side for a series, but three hundred million was definitely far too much.

If she invested that much, she’d never even get her principal back.

"In that case... I’ll casually throw in twenty million. That should be about right."

Lu Yunque simply wanted to follow Yun Zijin’s lead. This way, whenever she came to visit the set in the future, he’d have an excuse to tag along.

Sitting beside them, Gao Mi overheard this and broke into a grin so wide it seemed to carve new lines on his face.

"Welcome, welcome! Mr. Lu, you and Miss Yun must be on the same wavelength, to even think of investing together."

Even though Lu Yunque knew that wasn’t the case, he loved hearing it.

And indeed, after hearing Gao Mi’s words, the smile on Lu Yunque’s face grew much more genuine.

"Have the contract ready. I can sign anytime."

For Lu Yunque, an investment of twenty million was a trivial sum he could produce at a moment’s notice.

"Xiao Liu! The contract!"

Gao Mi hurriedly called for his assistant. ’Nowhere to be found at a critical moment. This assistant sure has a cushy job,’ he grumbled to himself.

Gao Mi’s assistant quickly brought over the contract. Yun Zijin glanced through it, relaxing only after confirming it was identical to the one she had signed.

"This contract was revised based on the suggestions from Miss Yun’s lawyer. Please have a look, Mr. Lu."

The audition continued on the floor below, and no one knew what was transpiring behind the long table where the judges sat.

Lu Yunque sat in his chair, picked up the contract, and began to look it over.

Gao Mi pretended to watch the auditioning actor’s performance, but half his mind was fixated on Lu Yunque.

Yun Zijin, on the other hand, was the one watching the auditions most intently, scribbling notes on every résumé.

Lu Yunque read through the contract with incredible speed, his eyes instantly spotting any potential loopholes or traps.

But the contract Gao Mi provided was, Lu Yunque had to admit, extremely rigorous, with clearly defined responsibilities and obligations for both parties involved.

It was, by all accounts, a completely fair agreement for both sides.

"It’s fine to sign. Send me the account information. Once the contract is finalized, I’ll arrange for the funds to be transferred."

Lu Yunque was investing the twenty million in his personal capacity, following the exact same procedure as Yun Zijin.

As for the third party to hold the contract in escrow, after hearing Yun Zijin’s suggestion, he also chose Hengchuang Law Firm.

Lu Yunque had heard of the law firm where Tang Yu worked.

The "signing ceremony" was far from formal, but the smile on Gao Mi’s face could no longer be contained.

’Who would have thought? Miss Yun is a buy-one-get-one-free deal! She brought another twenty million in investment right to my doorstep.’

Although the funds hadn’t been transferred yet, the contract was signed. Gao Mi was certain Lu Yunque wasn’t the type of person who would default on such a small amount of money.

At 6:00 PM, the day’s auditions came to a successful conclusion. Yun Zijin handed all the résumés she had taken notes on to Gao Mi.

Although she had her favorites, the final casting decision was ultimately up to Gao Mi. After all, he was the director of the project.

"Rest assured, Miss Yun. I’ll review them carefully and won’t overlook any promising talent."

"I’ll say it again—before you notify the actors, send the final list to me."

Gao Mi understood her intentions and didn’t say anything further.

After Yun Zijin and Lu Yunque left the film studio, Gao Mi held the contract Lu Yunque had signed and kissed it over and over again!

"Director, what’s the deal with that Miss Yun and Mr. Lu? Do you know who they are?"

Liao Guo sidled up to Gao Mi, trying to get some information on the pair’s identities.

"I don’t know. But you’d better not go snooping around. If you manage to offend people like that, there’s no telling if you’ll even be able to stay in Dijing."

Putting aside everything else, Yun Zijin’s garage full of luxury cars alone was enough to guess her background was anything but ordinary.

And Lu Yunque... In all of Dijing, there was only one truly prominent family with the surname Lu. The moment Gao Mi made that connection, he felt as if he had hit the ancestral lottery.

Hearing Gao Mi’s warning, Liao Guo’s heart skipped a beat. A flurry of thoughts crossed his mind, but in the end, he reined them in and said nothing more.

Gao Mi shot Liao Guo a meaningful glance but didn’t call out his unspoken intentions.

’He should be thankful he has just enough sense not to do something irreversible,’ Gao Mi thought.